1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to electrosurgical instruments for selectively providing electrical energy from an electrosurgical generator to a patient for searing and coagulating tissue and the like and, more particularly, it relates to electrosurgical instruments for selectively providing electrical energy from an electrosurgical generator to a patient for searing and coagulating tissue and the like which further provides evacuation of the plume associated with the searing and coagulating of the tissue and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With known prior art electrocautery devices, a plume, as it is referred to by persons skilled in the art is created during surgery by the vaporization of organic material (i.e., the tissue of the patient) which has been ablated by the electric current of the electrocautery device. It is widely known in the medical field that the plume created during electrosurgery is offensive and potentially dangerous to the surgeons and other operating room staff. The high temperature plume, which rises rapidly from the point of the electrosurgical instrument, has been shown to contain possible carcinogenic elements. In fact, of particular significance and concern, it has been discovered that the plume produced by electrosurgical incisions and cauterizations potentially contain and transport viable viral DNA. The viruses transmitted by the plume present a significant health hazard to the operating surgeon and others present in the operating room. In addition to the health hazards to operating personnel, sometimes the plume is produced in such volume that the surgeon's view of the operative field is obscured thereby placing the patient at substantial risk.
In the prior art, systems have been developed for aspirating the plume produced by electrocautery devices in electrosurgical procedures. In the typical technique, a conventional hospital suction tube held near the site of electrosurgical procedure by an assistant aspirates the plume. Unfortunately, this method inefficiently requires the fulltime attention of the assistant and the placement of the often bulky suction tube in the operative field which obstructs the operating surgeon's view. Additionally, since conventional suction tubes that are attached to a vacuum system create substantial noise levels in the operating room coupled with the fact that the suction tubes operate on a continuous basis during surgery, the suction tubes interfere with normal operating room dialogue thereby potentially causing miscommunications and misunderstandings between the operating room surgeon and the operating room staff.